The present invention relates to platform paddle tennis court constructions which must satisfy by outdoor installations thereof during winter seasons a demand for satisfactory usage under frequently trying weather conditions. This may require easy removal and effective elimination from the deck playing surface of ice and snow, maintenance of such surface in a manner assuring reliably safe underfooting, and relatively uniform firm support of all playing areas. Prior proposals in the art are advanced in the Eaton U.S. Pat. No. 2,205,398 of June 25, 1940; and Vaughn et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,729 of July 17, 1973; and Pappas U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,547 of Dec. 18, 1973.
The Eaton expired patent teaches one of the early types of such platform tennis court constructions featuring deck and side enclosing screening employing wooden subassemblies and parts assembled by skilled carpentry. Nothing taught therein is employed in the presently claimed invention.
In the Pappas patent it is disclosed that upstanding poles conveniently may be mounted upon the top ends of piers or posts margining the exterior edges of the rectangular court, the top ends thereof also providing supports for the marginal edges of the court. These posts cooperatively support a continuous, horizontal top rail structure from which is suspended the top edge of screening or netting that extends down to a lower horizontal rail structure which is likewise supported by these posts. These upright posts are shown to be flexed inwardly toward the margining court areas so that lateral stress is applied at the top edge of the screening assembly laterally outward from the court area to assure tautness of such screening. While this structure may be worthy of embodiment in a platform paddle tennis court construction which includes the platform deck construction of the present invention it is not claimed herein.
The Vaughn et al. patent teaches the production and assembling of metal parts to produce certain complicated and expensive assemblies of many parts to construct a deck structure and supporting base assembly beneath the latter, and also the screen enclosure supported by this base construction for margining the deck structure completely. As to heating it is merely suggested in one sentence of the summary thereof that a space heater may be installed below the platform deck for readily heating this metal platform tennis court without proposing anything more specific structurally.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide unique structural features in the metal deck construction of the present invention which will elevate the temperature thereof in an unusual manner with minimum loss of heat while overcoming problems of such prior art teachings with the realization of considerable economy in costs of construction, maintenance and operation.
This platform paddle tennis court includes, with suitable base support structure and marginal enclosing taut screening, a novel platform deck construction. This platform deck construction embodies a plurality of parallel, hollow deck panels extending in one of the directions of transversely and longitudinally of the usual court area and defining at least one of a plurality of sections together defining a portion of the deck area, and such portion may be a substantially half portion margined on one side by the central transverse net line. Each of these deck panels is substantially rectangular in cross section and defined by lateral top and bottom sheets and laterally-spaced upright side sheets, preferably but not necessarily of heat transfer material, successively connected together along meeting corners thereof in substantially fluid-tight junctures for defining together an elongated, hollow, tubular duct-defining interior. Each such "juncture" may be an integral continuation or, more specifically, a joint of opposed parts. A plurality of flow passage defining conduits are mounted transversely and laterally below the deck panels in appreciably spaced relation relative to the lengths of the tubular ducts with each constituting a heating fluid manifold. Heat supply equipment delivers to the flow passages of at least some of the transverse manifold conduits flowing heating fluid and to carry away such flowing heating fluid. Communicative passages may connect the flow passage interiors of some of the duct-defining panels and manifold conduits whereby such heating fluid may be circulated substantially throughout the deck panel interiors for heating the lateral top sheets of the panels, and if the heating fluid is to be recirculated suitable return conduits may connect such interior flow passages back to the heating source.
Since such a platform paddle tennis court deck, or the playing surface thereof within the enclosing screening, is substantially thirty feet wide and sixty feet long (30'.times.60') each of the two end sections on opposite sides of the transversely medial net dimensionally is about thirty feet long and thirty feet wide (30'.times.30'). Preferably, each of the deck panels may be about thirty feet long (30'l.) and about five feet wide (5'w.), and it may be preferred that they be laid longitudinally in each deck half section to extend from the deck transverse end thereof to the transverse medial net line, although they may be arranged to extend transversely parallel from one side of the deck across to the other side thereof, which may be accommodated by the installation either therebelow or at the ends thereof, by manifold conduits along the sides of the deck sections rather than crosswise thereof.
The hollow interior chamber of each of these deck panels is subdivided into a plurality of relatively narrow, parallel ducts, each of which may be, by way of example, about four and a quarter inches wide and about four inches high, with these ducts being defined on their sides by relatively stiff, elongated and upstanding partitions. These partitions effectively distribute the mobile and rapidly shifting loads of the players imposed upon the top sheets of the deck panels, and also permit economical employment of relatively thin or light gage sheet metal for the fabrication of at least these top sheets of such panels.
With the preferred longitudinal orientation of the deck panels, so that the interior ducts thereof extend longitudinally of the deck area and with each deck half section terminating transversely at or near the transverse net line a variety of patterns or arrangements and differing constructions of the supplying and exhausting conduits or manifolds are practically possible. For example, assuming approximate alignment and close or relatively non-leaking abutment or connection substantially at the transverse net line of the deck panels and their interior ducts on opposite sides of this net line, the deck and terminals of these panels and their interior ducts may effectively be closed off thereat in any suitable manner and transverse hollow manifolds may be mounted below or substantially aligned with such panel ends with provision for flow connections between the ducts thereat and the adjacent manifold chamber. Such mounting of the manifold below the ends of the panels may involve any suitable blockage of the duct ends at such deck end, such as by transverse end plates, and openings in the bottom sheet of each panel within each duct preceding its end blockage and down directly into the manifold therebeneath are simple and effective flow transfers. Also, these manifolds may be open top channels or troughs having their upwardly-extending sidewalls suitably connected or sealed to the panel bottom sheets on opposite sides of the openings in the latter. With one end of each such manifold closed off, the other end thereof may have suitably connected thereto at the deck edge a flow conducting conduit, with one at one deck end leading from a heater, such as a hot air furnace, and the other one at the opposite deck end leading back to this furnace for return of the same air now in cooler condition to be reheated.
Such channels at opposite ends of the deck area may serve the dual purpose of duct blockage and heated medium supply or exhaust by merely turning each such channel on its side and sealing the edges of the channel sides to the adjacent panel end so that the ducts are directly flow connected to this channel manifold interior. The end of this channel which is not connected to the supply or return conduit will be suitably blocked.
As to possible variants of the heating ductwork the supply manifolds may be transversely mounted beneath both ends of the deck with a single exhaust manifold transversely mounted in the general vicinity of the medial transverse net line. In this event, the hot medium flows into the panel ducts at both ends of the platform deck and along only about one-half of the length of deck area before being exhausted as cooler medium into the central manifold for return to the heater. In this pattern of ductwork the central exhaust manifold may be replaced by a pair of transverse exhaust manifolds so that each deck half section has transverse manifolds at both ends of all of its panels. In the latter event the panels are interchangeable and when unloaded at a construction site do not require orientating care in assembling. Other suitable arrangements of these relative parts will readily occur to one skilled in this art and in mechanics.
It has been found to be desirable as economically advantageous with respect to service costs of operating such a platform paddle tennis court to apply suitable protective sheetings to strategical areas of the deck panels. This may involve such applications to either or both of the top surface of the top sheet and the bottom surface of the bottom sheet of the deck panels. For example, a ply of fiberglass reinforced plastic of relatively thin body may be desirably laminated or otherwise attached to the top surface of each panel top sheet beneath the overlying play surface rough coat. Also, some suitable insulating material or coating may be laminated or attached to the bottom surface of the bottom sheet of each deck panel to reduce heat loss to underlying ground material, etc.
The assembly of deck panels may be supported advantageously on suitable piers margining the edge zones of the sides and ends of the assembled deck with the margining piers also conveniently supporting upright posts laterally outward of the deck margins for support of the enclosing taut screening.